How would you advise testmyidea.com’s Internet venture for the underprivileged?
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MITCEF participants, Social Entrepreneurs, people who have had successful beta launches, successful investment rounds, people running reasonably successful businesses in Pakistan, and the general readers:
We have given you press coverage in the past, we’ve written nice things about you or given you guys some free advice that comes out of some years of doing business strategy, and we have all participated and felt proud of creating a forward-thinking social community.
Lets start sharing and give back to the community now.
We have heard enough of your successes — now start giving help to the new comers who are working on making a genuine difference in society one way or another.
Testmyidea.com needs your help.
So share some of your insight and advice here so that everyone can succeed together. Just spend 5 mins, write a comment, and be done.
Here is whats needed from you.
We covered testmyidea.com earlier when I mentioned that it was eerily similar to an open idea I had proposed a long time ago at G&W.
Today Ian wrote in on a comment that they are expanding that into what seems like a semi-social activity.
From what I can tell, the idea is to provide internet access and free support, training and materials to enterprising people in Mia channu who cannot otherwise afford internet costs.
Ian has asked for advice on how he can make this successful, and since we already have people among the readers who just went through training on business strategy, and won awards for their social entrepreneurship, I hope they can provide some advice to ian through the comments here.
You can read more about testmyidea.com here and here and also about the Internet Enterprise Center here.
Here is Ian’s request in the comment:
Thank you for publishing my request for “creativesâ€Â..we did not get a response..but am pressing on ..the office will be ready in february..with launch date April .Do you attend .startup launches ? This will be at an internet enterprise center we are opening in Mian Channu…we intend using TMI as a free user training platform with free high quality marketing information to enable the students progress their idea ..â€Âon the fly †I did read on your site you help students and i would appreciate any advice you can give to advance TMI for the benefit of Pakistani students who normally cannot afford internet access… We hope to translate into other lanquages.. Do you think using Urdu would improve the chances of TMI being successful in Pakistan ?
Fire away in the comments.
P.S. NO I dont have any vested interest in TMI — its called humanity to be able to help each other once in a while.
3:28 pm
Definitely translate into Urdu!
Also create bi-lingual user guide (visually aided) to help people in getting started.
A technique that marketing companies use for launching products/ideas: “Activation.” This is usually an on-ground activity, often to educate the consumer. Hold 5, 10, 30, x people seminars where you engage and excite the people, and then unleash them on the technology. During the Kashmir Earthquake relief effort, I found first-hand how even a 7-minute orientation can help people to get organized, and work swiftly with great motivation. (This was the orientation plan, which helped us create supply chains: http://www.pakquake.com/operation-labbaik.html)
It will be motivating if, from a resource like TIG.org or better – worldchanging.com – or Bottom of the Pyramid – you can pull out examples to convince your audience that this *will* create change. Helps overcoming cynicism.
I find WorldChanging.com’s stories about India’s Barefoot College very inspiring.
Vdery good luck!
3:41 pm
Correction, it’s http://www.takingitglobal.org/.
The other site is http://WorldChanging.com.
Most of your work, Ian, can benefit from advice of young changemakers such as the Kielburger brothers – one of whom started Free The Children at age 12. Their books “Take Action” and “Me to We” are great resources in getting social aciton going.
Perhaps you can also convince some hard-working university student do a research project for you. Talk to placement officers and students, and get an ad placed in places like IBA Karachi to get (free) research aide. They need research/project topics all the time.
4:10 am
Ramla.
Thank you for your comment..very helpful.
I will add a menu link” Pakistan” and this will
include” Urdu”….I will have to research..my guess is, most poor ..the ones i am ultimately
wanting to help ,are the ones who need be taught in their native lanquage..??
Have you more on BA karachi ..is it a website?
The seminar idea and the research project fits what i hope to achieve by building a research team..I just need to find it..
Thank you again… Ian